Game Master Tips & Tricks

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A Brief Word From Johnn

Take 10: Heal Encounters

This week we feature another installment in the Take 10
skill series.

One thing that occurred to me is each of Hannah's tips makes
for an excellent set-up encounter to launch a side trek or
full adventure with. After reading each tip, think how you
could use the Heal skill as a hook for another encounter or
to start off an adventure.

One Page Dungeon Contest 2010 - Ends March 1

A reader wrote in with news about a new contest for one-page
dungeon designs and he asked me to spread the word. It looks
like a fun contest to enter and there is a ton of great
prizes. Check it out:

Have you read Across the Face of the World?

I am on page 124 of Across the Face of the World by Russell
Kirkpatrick. It's pretty slow so far, and it seems to follow
the classic weak-people-wandering-around fantasy story
template. That's ok, but just not what I'm into at the
moment. (I'm hankering for great sword & sorcery.)

Have you read this book? If so, does it pick up the pace?
Are the other books in the series really good? I'm just
wondering if I should cut bait and move onto another book.

I find if I put a book I'm not enjoying down for awhile -
months or years - I'll someday be in the right mood for it.
Could be this is that type of book. Could be it's plain
boring the whole way through, though, so maybe I should
recycle it.

Reader Tip Request: Instilling common sense into players

From: mrmike65

I'd like to pose a problem I suspect is not unique among
DMs: invulnerable players. My players walk through my world
with the preconception there is nothing they need to run
from.

Scenario: Three characters are on a long, narrow bridge that
extends to a nearby island. They are halfway across when two
large mounted warriors leading a team of eight spellcasters
appear at the opposite end, heading toward them.

As the opposition nears, the characters see that the mounted
warriors are actually trolls in spiked plate mail, with
lances, riding oversized howlers.

They can also see that the hooded spellcasters are all over
7 feet tall, not human, and actively preparing spells
(waving of clawed hands and chanting loudly, with a dark
purple haze beginning to swirl above their heads).

I did my best to make this group of enemies seem strong and
dangerous. The howlers are rearing and lunging to tear
flesh; they even use their howl special ability a couple of
times even though they are out of range. The trolls are
slamming their lances on their shields. Lightning plays
throughout the growing haze above the spellcasters.

What do the characters do? They run like good little
munchkins. It's a good move - except they're not running for
their lives, they're running to trap the enemy in the narrow
corridors of the complex behind them.

So, as the enemy approaches the PCs' trap, I have a couple
of stray ogres appear on the scene between the enemy and the
characters, just to have them instantly mangled by the
enemy. This was my last attempt to impart the message of
lethal danger. Only, I don't think the message was received
because the characters turn to face the enemy and "teach
them a lesson" (actual quote!).

Twelve rounds later, two characters are dead and one is
running for his life in dark, tiny passages.

It's been a while since I actually played a character, but
if I had been playing I would have kept running from the
first. Then found a way to neutralize the enemy or bypass
them all together.

After much thought, here are two reasons I can come up with
for this debacle:

It may be I am too fair or too easy a DM, but I am proud
to say I view roleplaying as a cooperative effort between DM
and players - not a competition.

I like to challenge my players and not abuse them. My
players know I would much rather mangle and handicap a
character, forcing them to be more creative in their
efforts, than outright kill them.

Instead of that two stone block turning a character into a
pancake, I'll make them lose the front half of their right
foot and deal with the penalties.

Video games reinforce the idea that there is an unlimited
supply of characters. It is true. I'm not going to tell a
player they can't play any more because their character
died. Players are not that easy to come by.

If a character dies, the player either resurrects it (with
all the standard penalties and due process) or makes a new
one (and waits until the moment is right to jump back into
the adventure, albeit in a different capacity).

By the way, this whole encounter was crafted as an attempt
to put the fear of the gods back into the characters,
because I had come to realize my group of players had
become complacent and bored. Every encounter and trap had
become mundane and ultimately non-threatening to the
characters and their quest.

So, the question is, how can I instill common sense back
into my players without compromising my cooperative
roleplaying ethics?

Dungeon A Day

Monte Cook, whose design credits include 3rd Edition D&D,
Ptolus, Arcana Evolved, and 20+ years of other products, has
launched dungeonaday.com, a subscription-based website where
he's building a hyperlinked, extremely detailed, campaign
for you, one encounter at a time.

Dragon's Delve is a challenging old-school megadungeon with
a vast history and extensive background, but DMs can also
use the modular encounters to spice up their own adventures.

Every weekday, he presents a new encounter, plus the site
offers maps, handouts, DM tips, behind the scenes articles,
and bonus encounters. There's even a podcast.

Take Ten: Heal

by Hannah Lipsky

Healers have held a place of honor in every human society
from ancient tribal witch-doctors to modern day physicians.
But then why is Heal, the ubiquitous skill for clerics and
the like, so very nearly useless?

Does magical healing render the mundane skills superfluous?
Hardly! Here are ten ways the much-ignored Heal skill can be
used in your game.

1. Diagnose an Illness

The duke has been suffering from a terrible malady. Sending
the party off on a harebrained scheme to find a rare cure
only works if the duke's physician has any idea what's wrong
with him. The warrior PCs are a lot better at fighting than
most warriors, so shouldn't the healer PCs be a lot better
at medicine than most physicians?

Whether it's an epidemic sweeping through the city, a sudden
bout of sickness afflicting one of the local royalty, or
merely a racking cough that's keeping the beggar from
telling the party which way the thugs went, the Heal skill
can tell you what's wrong and how to fix it.

2. Make Friends and Win Favors

You might not have enough cure spells to get the party up to
full health, but that doesn't mean you can't patch up the
bandit prisoner before you interrogate him.

A little mundane healing is just the thing for allies who
can't afford a physician on their own, captured enemies you
wish to sway with your mercy, and random peasants you hope
to impress.

3. Earn a Little Gold

The bard can play his lyre, the thief can cheat at cards,
the wizard can do magic tricks and the fighter can pick up a
few coins winning at darts. What can the healer do?

Charge a few coppers here and there to change bandages and
ease the pain of infected wounds. Reset that broken bone,
take a look at that aching tooth, and put a poultice on that
colorful bruise. All these are services much in demand
anywhere adventurers travel, and there's no reason not to
make an honest living while doing a bit of community
service.

4. Alleviate Madness

Most fantasy worlds are short on psychiatrists, but full up
on the mentally ill. Diplomacy only goes so far when someone
is foaming at the mouth or raving about conspiracies. Why
not use the Heal skill instead?

A good healer can calm down a madman for long enough to get
a few straight answers out of them, and a great healer might
even lessen the symptoms permanently. Healing herbs and
potions can act as sedatives or perhaps even anti-
psychotics.

5. Detect or Brew Poison

Thieves and assassins know their dangerous brews, but so do
healers. Some herbs can act as a cure for one ill while
worsening another, and it makes sense for a healer to know
them apart.

If a poison has some connection with an illness, or is made
from natural herbs of any kind, there's a good chance that
the Heal skill will be able to identify it. And if you can
identify something, you can probably make it.

Think the only reason not to irritate the healer is to
ensure you always get your HP replenished? Think again.

6. Create Medicines

Brewing potions might be a magical skill, but making willow
bark tea is an even more useful mundane one. Clean bandages
can be hard to come by, but if you've been trained to boil
them first and store them somewhere sterile, yours will be
much better than what the locals will have lying around.

Don't forget all those exotic locales adventurers travel to
- surely there's some rare mountain herbs there that are
just the thing for curing fevers. Use the Heal skill to brew
up some tasty tea or put together a sweet-smelling poultice.

7. Improve Public Health

Many PCs are ragtag bands of adventurers, but some rule
fiefs or even kingdoms. Do you really want your serfs to be
the ones with rotting teeth and scabrous skin?

Use the Heal skill to determine how good you are at keeping
your servants healthy. If there's a disease going around,
use the skill to see how much you were able to teach the
local physicians about how to treat it.

8. Preventative Care

Here there be snakes! Use your Heal skill to figure out what
antidote you need to bring. Here there be frostbite! No
problem - you have some salves that will help make your skin
resistant to that.

Long sea voyage coming up? You might not be able to stock
the hold with fresh oranges, but making a Heal roll to
scrounge up some vitamins should keep the crew from falling
prey to scurvy. And what about that plague that's going
around? Well, a diet of these herbs should help keep you
from coming down with it.

9. Push the Limits

You know how your body works, and how to fix it when it's
broken down. Odds are, that means you also know how to get a
little extra performance out of it when it's working just
fine.

Whether it's using your supply of healing herbs to dull your
sense of pain before the battle even begins, brewing
yourself some wake-up tea to stay alert through an extra
long watch, or using natural supplements to buff yourself up
over the long term, there's plenty of ways the Heal skill
can give you an edge.

10. Make it Hurt

Knowing how to heal means you know what can go wrong with a
body. Why not use your healing knowledge to help you out in
combat?

Aim for places where you know you can cripple a joint.
Strike at parts of the body where nerve clusters lurk just
beneath the skin. When you're out for vengeance, break bones
that you know from experience almost never heal cleanly.

It's worth asking your DM if you can get a bonus to hit or
damage certain enemies with a successful Heal check. If a
Knowledge check can tell you an enemy's weaknesses,
shouldn't knowing enough about the creature to patch up its
hurts tell you much the same thing?

Game Master Tips & Tricks

1. Session Planning

How do you take your adventures from a simple quest or
monster mash to a more interactive part of your overall
campaign and more of an adventure?

The Questions

First, ask some questions about the role of this adventure:

1) How does this fit into my overall campaign scheme?

Does it introduce one of the overall issues, problems or
mysteries (a minor sub-plot)? Does it introduce a character,
location or group that may be important or reoccurring?

Look at previous adventures in the campaign, at the overall
campaign plan, and at the villain's plans to see where the
adventure fits in.

Note that sub-plots can seem trivial, but they can support
the main plot in significant ways.

For example, the PCs find a rusty gauntlet in a dungeon,
make an alliance with some no-account tribe on the high
plains, and meet a prissy dude who has a constant sniffle
and persists in tagging along with them.

So, the crappy gauntlet is actually something that allows
the wearer to open a magic door in a mountain. The portal
leads the PCs to a lost kingdom.

The tribe is actually a group of earth-bound deities. If
they befriend you, you'll be let in on some of the secret
training that can make you nearly invisible, almost fly,
leap without sound farther than a deer, or be able to make a
non-destructive flame wherever you need light.

The sniffly priss is actually a princess in disguise.
Returning her will make her father a great ally who may
fight the PCs' enemy.

2) Next ask, "How will I make sure the PCs get this
information?"

Don't just throw it out there. Make the PCs earn it, maybe
by throwing in various challenges and different information,
some related and some not. Perhaps bits and pieces finally
add up to the information you want them to get.

3) What is the opposition?

The main villain

Thugs of the main villain

Monsters

Animals

Other bad guys

A variety of the above? (Specify, and say what their
roles are.)

Plan the Adventure Sequence

Next, we go into the pure fun of the adventure. I look at
the adventure as a kind of odyssey with a sequence of steps.

1) Dock

This is where they're leaving from. If it's a repeat area,
you need not go into much detail, but make sure it's kept
consistent.

This area can be examined in more detail by the PCs in the
future, either later in this adventure, or in future
adventures.

While you're here, have some kind of event happen that
involves the PCs. It can be simple and tied into this
adventure, or be separate, possibly introducing cast
members, mysteries, and other elements that will be looked
into later.

2) En Route

While journeying to the next spot, there may be some
challenges or problems. These may tie into the adventure or
not.

3) Landing Pad

This is where the PCs land for the adventure. A dungeon, for
example.

Provide at least 5 to 10 challenges here. They can range
from simple to complex, and with one or more types of
opposition.

Something in this landing pad area - maybe through one of
the challenges being unsolvable or something that is
discovered here - leads further into the adventure.

The landing pad may create or give:

A problem to solve - "remove a curse"

A mystery to deduce - how do they relocate the missing
book the wizard needs?

It may involve them in some ongoing situation or conflict
- this gives them a new enemy or informs them of something
the villain is planning

A new objective, goal, mission - "retrieve a kidnapped
colleague"

A cause - "assist someone"

4) Back En Route

New problems and challenges. The (a-e) situations above
will now put the PC party back en route to the next area.
They might face new problems and challenges, either some
left over from The Landing Pad area or new ones.

Once again, these challenges may be tied into the rest of
the adventure, are stand alone, or be a combination of both.

5) Mid-Ground

Now you move into The Mid-Ground of the adventure. There
should be some truly interactive elements here: puzzles,
mysteries, discussions, debate, action, chases, surprises.

All of these are based on the issues from The Landing Pad
and anything learned or that cropped up on the way to this
area.

Mid-Ground elements may even go back to that original
adventure at The Dock, and now it's seen how it contributes
to the problems being dealt with.

6) Minor Problems

In Mid-Ground, the PCs may have returned to the original
Dock or gone to a new place. Now, they may move onward to a
new location, or stay at The Mid Ground Locale. Whichever,
there are some minor problems they have to deal with. In
some way, these problems lead into the next part of the
adventure.

7) The Canyon

Minor Problems lead the PCs to an area I call The Canyon.
They are going to channel through this area, either being
harried by someone or just by being given few choices on
where to go or what do to.

This is not to suggest railroading them. Instead, the action
of the game is heating up and things are happening so fast
that the PCs are forced to react.

There should be at least one violent confrontation, such as
a last attempt to get information from someone or breaking
in to get something.

Make a list of last ditch things the PCs might try. Have
some help them resolve the adventure successfully, some that
are red herrings, and some that are dead ends.

It's OK to cause a bit of frustration, a sense of
desperation with time running out, or a step behind. The
group should be challenged, but should get a clear result -
success or failure - for taking on the challenge and getting
it done. This leads to the next area.

7a) Setup the final challenges

The PCs may move to a new area or not. If the PCs are
captured, wounded, or depleted there may be additional
travel. Or, if they have to track the enemy to its lair,
there may be travel.

However, this is mostly drama. It might be dark and spooky,
for instance. Think of it more as a cinematic moment and
don't waste a lot of time here. This is the set-up for the
final challenges.

8) Mountain Top

This is the end of this adventure. There may now be a
betrayal, an ambush, an additional problem, dangerous
weather, an unexpected monster, etc.

Make things uncertain, scary and difficult. Possibly the
lair they go into is a labyrinth. Maybe there's a fork in
the road and they have to split up. There could be an inter-
party conflict.

There should certainly be some violence while they beat on
the villain's minions.

The PCs might have to rush to prevent the villain from
completing some terrible plan. The big bad guy might not be
the actual main villain, but it should certainly take a
group effort to bring him down.

At the end of #8, there must be a clear outcome: the PCs
succeed in the final fight or not. This does not mean
everything is cleaned up and perfect. The villain got away
to fight another day, or the plans weren't stopped, or there
are new problems.

The PC party may have more questions than answers. A new
problem, plot or sub-plot might have just been revealed.

The PCs might have gained insights or retrieved gear that
will help them work further along on the main quest or solve
some problem left over from a past adventure.

This might hint at the PCs's next adventure, and give you
several options to start the next session's adventure. Make
notes of these.

Ask the players what questions they have, what they would
like to explore further. This will help you in planning
future adventures.

2. Alien or Fantasy Race Inspiration

From: Eric FitzMedrud via the GMMastery Yahoo! Group

I frequently have my antennae up for creatures that take
"alien" or "fantasy race" just a little farther beyond the
known. Most entries in monster bestiaries are a transparent
mishmash of existing animals, creatures or myths.

I get a little bored with the constant parade of vertebrate,
bipedal, 5-fingered aliens. The most annoying trope to me is
using insects to make the new species seem really alien.

So, when I read about ciliates today I got pretty excited.
Imagining the culture of a sentient species with these
qualities and reproductive methods got me on some ideas that
seemed pretty hard for me to imagine in concrete terms, like
no stable personal identity, totally fluid interpersonal
relationships, no words for "I" or "me".

Since I had a hard time imagining a culture with those
qualities, I think it would be fun to see players
encountering the species. Check it out. See if it sparks
some of your synapses too.

5. Whimsy Cards

[This discussion concerns the use of Whimsy cards in my
DragonQuest fantasy RPG campaign. I think Whimsy cards, or
something similar, could be used in any RPG setting or
system. I have also used Whimsy cards in a GURPS campaign I
used to run.]

In my DragonQuest campaign I use a deck of "Whimsy" cards to
give my players a way to have some input into the story of
the adventure.

The Whimsy cards are a deck of RPG events"that was published
many years ago as a play aid to the Ars Magica RPG. Here is
a web page that describes the cards and actually lists the
text that was printed on each card:

I don't own a set of the original cards which have long been
out-of-print. A friend used these cards in an RPG campaign
(I forget the system) many moons ago. I just made my own set
by copying the text that was on each card and putting it on
slips of paper.

In addition, my Whimsy deck includes two blank cards that
players can use to dream up their own event.

At the beginning of each game session, I shuffle the deck
and give each player a card.

At any point in the game session, a player can play a card
to alter the flow of events in the story. I find that the
players enjoy the Whimsy cards because it gives them *real*
ownership over the story we are creating together.

I find we use the Whimsy cards for three purposes:

As "luck" cards. When a player or the party has had some
*really* bad luck (in DragonQuest, the backfires and
grievous injuries can often be bad luck that is disastrous
for a player's character), a card can sometimes be used to
soften the bad outcome a bit and keep it from being a
complete catastrophe.

Likewise, if the players are stuck and could use a little
good luck to get the story moving again, Whimsy cards are
useful.

As humor cards. Sometimes the game is getting just a bit
tedious and boring and someone wants to put a little mirth
into the session. I will allow a Whimsy card play in that
instance if the player has a good way to inject the fun into
the game using the card.

As a way to control the plot a bit or add some character
story element (or minor skill). For example, the player has
a character story idea he wants to introduce and doesn't
want to wait for an opportunity to do so. He can play a card
and introduce the story idea or skill that way.

This can also be a way to allow a player to add to his
character skills or knowledge that are fairly significant or
powerful, and that I wouldn't allow the player to simply add
to his character without some sort of payment to the story.

The primary use for Whimsy cards in our campaign is luck. As
we all know, DQ can be a deadly game. We also know
generating a character is no minor effort! So players tend
use Whimsy cards to keep PCs alive.

They have to be judicious in their use of the cards,
however, as they only get one card per session. If they use
the card and then get another mortal wound - so be it. My
players tend to save their Whimsy cards unless there is no
possibility of avoiding the bad outcome without it.

Using Whimsy cards as luck requires reasonableness on the
players' parts, and some management on the GM's part. No, a
player cannot play the "Inopportune Arrival" Whimsy card and
have a meteor fall from the sky and kill off a troll that is
blocking his path.

If, however, that troll is really kicking the character's
butt, and will probably cleave the PC in two with his next
blow, the player could play that card, stating the troll's
wife, irate over some misdeed by the troll, arrives and
distracts the troll for one pulse, giving the player the
initiative for that pulse. With the lucky break, the player
could try to retreat and get to safety or do something else
to avoid instant death.

I do not allow Whimsy cards to change the outcome of poor
decisions by a player. Only truly bad luck the player did
not bring on himself. If the player had no business
attacking the troll, and could have easily thought of an
alternative to doing so, then that is not bad luck - that is
foolishness. Sorry, no Whimsy card luck for you!

The GM must be diligent not to let the Whimsy cards save the
day every time players get into a jam. If he does, the fear
of death or defeat goes away and the game becomes boring.
That is why I only allow one card per player (or even one
card per party). After the card is played, no more are given
out for the rest of the session.

In addition, I usually try to retain an element of chance in
the luck the player receives. The Whimsy luck is not a
complete save, it is usually a second chance at a save.

For example, instead of simply having the troll's swing at
the character miss, I will make the troll roll again, and if
he misses on either roll, I will call it a miss. Or I will
make the troll roll twice on the grievous injury table, and
the player can pick the grievous injury that seems less
onerous to him or her.

The role-play aspect is important. The player must give me a
plausible reason for the luck to occur. If the player plays
the "Inopportune Arrival" Whimsy card, he has to explain to
me what the inopportune arrival is, who it occurs to, and
how it might pull his chestnuts out of the fire. I will
modify as I see fit to make the Whimsy play fair to all
concerned. If I think the attempt at role-play is half-
hearted, I may make the effect ineffectual. Moo ha ha ha!

I would love to hear how other GMs use Whimsy cards, or
similar devices, in their campaigns.

The Heroic Power Pack for Rogues offers new trap powers that
control the face of the battlefield, formation powers that
benefit from your allies staying in position, TeamWork
powers that are more powerful after an ally attacks, or an
all-out bloody mess if you choose the Assault powers.

The 3.5 NPCs & Monsters Ever provides fully statted NPCs
that have a smattering of history behind them for the
spontaneous DM moment of need. These NPCs cover the gamut of
both monstrous and valorous.